Survey of the Nation's Lakes:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and tribes are conducting a nationwide survey this summer of the condition of the nation’s lakes. The survey will help citizens and governments measure the health of our waters, take actions to prevent pollution, and evaluate the effectiveness of protection and restoration efforts.
Designed to estimate the percentage of lakes that are in good, fair, or poor condition, the survey will serve as a scientific report card on America’s lakes. It will examine ecological, water quality, and recreational indicators, and assess how widespread key stressors (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and acidification) are across the country.
The survey is a collaborative effort that involves dozens of state environmental and natural resource agencies, federal agencies, universities and other organizations. In Indiana, the effort is being coordinated through the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). Professor Bill Jones of Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs (IU-SPEA) will direct the Indiana sampling along with IU-SPEA faculty member Melissa Clark. Five IU-SPEA MSES graduate students will conduct the field analysis and sampling.
How were the lakes selected?
A total of 909 lakes – representing five size classes and distributed relatively evenly across the lower 48 states – are included in the survey. EPA selected the lakes from the nation’s natural and man-made freshwater lakes, ponds and reservoirs. Lakes must be at least one meter deep and over ten acres in size. The survey does not include the Great Lakes or the Great Salt Lake. Lakes were selected randomly using a statistical survey design to represent the population of lakes in their ecological region – the geographic area in which climate, ecological features, and plant and animal communities are similar.
In Indiana, 21 lakes were selected in the initial draw. An additional 29 “overdraw” lakes will also be sampled by IU-SPEA. The total of 50 Indiana lakes sampled will be a large enough sample size to allow IDEM to statistically analyze lake conditions within Indiana.
What about my lake?
If your lake is being sampled for this survey, it was selected randomly from the population of lakes in your part of the country. Your lake was not selected because it exhibits any particular problem or water quality condition, or because it was recommended for sampling by an agency or organization. When the final report on the Survey of the Nation’s Lakes is written, data from your lake will contribute to the regional and national picture of lake condition.
If your lake is not being sampled for this survey, it was not omitted for any particular reason, but rather because it was not randomly selected or did not fit into the target population of lakes (e.g., those greater than ten acres in area and at least one meter deep).
Many volunteer monitoring groups and lake associations have years of sampling data for their lakes, data vital to local lake management activities. This survey will provide a regional and national – and in some cases, statewide – assessment of lake condition. It will also allow those with sampling data on their lake to compare the condition of their lake to the range of lakes in their region or state.
What will researchers measure?
IU-SPEA field crews will be taking many measurements at each selected lake. They will be using consistent procedures at all sites so that results can be compared across the country. They will be measuring such things as:
They will also be taking sediment cores from the bottom of the lake.
What happens next?
Sampling will be conducted during the summer of 2007. EPA intends to issue a report on the findings in 2009. Between the time lakes are sampled and the national report is published, samples will be analyzed in EPA-certified labs, the data will be entered into a database and analyzed, and a draft report will be written and reviewed. The public will have the opportunity to review and comment on the draft report.
Where can I find out more?
For more information on the overall program, visit: www.epa.gov/owow/lakes/lakessurvey.
Listed below is the working list of Indiana lakes that will be sampled in Summer 2007 for the National Lakes Survey.
| NAME | COUNTY |
| Messick Lake | LAGRANGE |
| Cedar Lake | LAKE |
| Cheeseboro Lake | STEUBEN |
| Palestine Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Princes East Lake | JOHNSON |
| Monroe Lake | MONROE |
| Skinner Lake | NOBLE |
| Tippecanoe Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Round Lake | NOBLE |
| Mud Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Little Otter Lake | STEUBEN |
| Bass Lake | STARKE |
| Strakis Lake | MARION |
| Tipton Lakes | BARTHOLOMEW |
| Harper Lake | NOBLE |
| Johnson Lake | STEUBEN |
| Prairie Creek Reservoir | DELAWARE |
| Fish Lake | ELKHART |
| Crooked Lake | STEUBEN |
| Fletcher Lake | FULTON |
| Woodland Lake | BROWN |
| Koontz Lake | MARSHALL |
| Whitewater Lake | UNION |
| Kokomo Reservoir #1 | HOWARD |
| Waldron Lake | NOBLE |
| Lake Maxinkuckee | MARSHALL |
| Bischoff Reservoir | RIPLEY |
| Round Lake | WHITLEY |
| Hert Lake South Pond | GREENE |
| Lake James | STEUBEN |
| (borrow pit) | MIAMI |
| Heritage Lake | PUTNAM |
| Robinson Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Round Lake | STEUBEN |
| Rock Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Saddle Lake | PERRY |
| Fox Lake | STEUBEN |
| Lazy Lake | MONROE |
| Lake Latonka | MARSHALL |
| Tamarack Lake | NOBLE |
| Big Chapman Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Morse Reservoir | HAMILTON |
| Lake Barbara | NOBLE |
| Versailles Lake | RIPLEY |
| Whippoorwill Lake | MORGAN |
| Big Barbee Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Crystal Lake | KOSCIUSKO |
| Yellow Banks Lake | WARRICK |
| S. Chain Lake | ST JOSEPH |
| Blackman Lake | LAGRANGE |
Toxin-Producing Alga is Widespread in Indiana
A study recently completed by the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) found that a toxin-producing blue-green algae called Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii was distributed throughout Indiana. While only 19 of 183 lakes and reservoirs sampled during the three-year study contained this invasive algae when sampled, the lakes with detectable levels were spread throughout the state. Overall, more reservoirs (14) than natural lakes (4) were found affected, along with 1 quarry. Lakes and reservoirs containing Cylindrospermopsis tended to be shallow, warm, and eutrophic.
You can read more about the study here: Study Summary
The Indiana Lake Management Society (ILMS) has re-built their web page. The new page contains many features that should be popular and helpful with the Indiana lake community. Included are: a question and answer section; aquatic plant identification; new rules affecting lakes; a lake-to-lake discussion section; and links to other sites. The address is: www.indianalakes.org